Chapter 104 Chapter~104~Free falling.

Chapter 104 Chapter~104~Free falling.
Nick~

Ian and Leonard's focus snapped to Harley the moment the elevator doors chimed open. She stepped into the hum of the squad room beside Seth, just as Ben rounded the corner. Leonard's features sagged, his eyes resembling hollowed-out shells.

In contrast, Ian's entire frame vibrated with a heat that drained the blood from his face. He thrashed against my hold, but his muscles betrayed him. "He's a fraud!" he howled, the sharp sound cutting through the air. "That's no federal agent; what you see before you is a beast! A werewolf!"

Howard's voice boomed over the sudden silence to the officers. "Take these lunatics the hell outta here!" He scoffed, a dry, rattling sound. "Werewolves. Beautiful." He slammed a heavy palm against my shoulder blade; the force of it jolted my teeth. "Nice work, Agent."

From my peripheral vision, I catch the frantic movement in Ben's eyes. Replaced by a sharp, predatory stillness. He doesn't just look at me; his gaze drags over my face. His eyes narrow as if searching for the seam where the mask meets the skin.

As the officers haul Leonard and Ian toward booking, their boots scuffing the linoleum, I pull Harley close; her scent grounds me. "Are you ready to go?"

She beamed at me. "Yep, we're all done here," she cut her eyes to Ben, "we'll have the results in a couple of days."

That was the only green light I needed. I pivoted, guiding her toward the sliding glass doors with a stride that bordered on a run. Seth and Kyle were shadows at our heels.

Heavy footsteps echoed against the tile as our foursome broke for the exit. Outside, the afternoon heat surged off the blacktop in shimmering waves.

Without her sunglasses, Harley winced, her eyes squeezing shut against the brutal white glare reflecting off the asphalt. My Oakleys came from the placket of my shirt, and I pressed them into her hand.

Seth stopped when we reached the SUV, dragging a palm down his face as if trying to wipe away the last hours. "Ben is likely on the phone with the Bureau as we speak," he said, his voice low and jagged. "You're standing on a collapsing bridge, my friend."

Harley's brow pinched, her skin pulling tight across her forehead as she searched my eyes. "He's right, Nick," she whispered, the words barely audible over the sudden, frantic drumming of my pulse. "Ben won't stop."

Kyle gave a sharp, single nod. "I'll take your things back with us to the Pack. Just go. Get the hell out of here."

Adrenaline surged up the back of my throat, leaving no time for thought. Gravel crunched beneath my boots, and the door slammed shut once Harley was inside. We peeled out of the lot; soon the blurred silhouettes of Seth and Kyle grew smaller in the rearview mirror.

Below my hand, Harley's fingers vibrated against my thigh; a frantic, rhythmic twitch. "Where are we going?" She asked, her voice thin and brittle.

"Home," I said, risking a glance at her. The sunlight from the dashboard cast jagged shadows across her pale face. Willpower keeps my voice steady, burying the roar of my fear. "It's over. We're finally free."

As we head back toward Primm, the rigidity in her posture breaks, though she keeps checking the rearview and side mirrors. We exit at the same gas station as on the White Lake trip.

The smile on her face when I handed her the icy peach slushy she'd been craving made the detour worthwhile. Rehydrated and bladders relieved, we pile back up again and hit the highway.

Only this time we veer away from the route to White Lake. Instead, we head toward the arid, deep purple shadowed peaks of the Lucy Gray Mountains.

'Sure glad you took my advice and threw away the bait gut clothes,' Zeek boasts, his voice echoing in my head. 'The house would smell like a dockside locker by now.'

'Yes, you were right,' I admitted.

'Ben has no idea where we are, Nick. He wouldn't even know where to start.'

The air in the car feels too thick, too heavy with the weight of the last mile. The gravel driveway is a tighter, more erratic ribbon of gray than I remembered. I've been gone for far too long.

A sharp, cold flutter lives in my stomach now that the reality kicks in that the fridge holds only a half-case of beer. Not exactly ideal nutrients for a pregnant woman. I'll have to conjure dinner tonight, then go into town tomorrow.

We pulled up to the front of the cabin; at least my trawler still bobs lazily on the lake in the distance. I'd intended to tie it down, but in my rush to get to Harley, I only tethered her lightly to the wooden pier.

In the late afternoon sunshine, the water breaks into jagged, brilliant shards of light. Harley's eyes darted around as I turned off the engine and opened the driver's door. "What do you think?"

"It's wonderful," she gasped with wide eyes.

A Cheshire cat-sized smile spread across my face as I exited the car, rounded it, and opened the passenger-side door, extending my hand. "Come on."